If you watched last night's Dallas-Oklahoma City NBA playoff game, you saw the color blue--a lot. It was another "color-out" game, the fan efforts which have become increasingly popular from franchise to franchise and school to school. You know the drill--a cheap t-shirt is given away at the door to those attending the game and it's usually in the color of the home team/school.
Some teams have chosen white as the shirt color of choice and, in case you were wondering, the "white out" does apparently have an effect on the opposition, although no factual evidence exists to back up the claim.
In today's Wall Street Journal, the following statistic was cited for color-out games:
- Since 2006, when the Miami Heat popularized "white outs," home teams have won 68.8% of post-season games. When fans wear shirts all of the same color, that percentage rises to 74.6%.
While there is no quantifiable evidence to back it up, white outs are thought to be the most effective. Rick Nairn, an executive with the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes, says white is most effective because it best hides the stray fan who wears a different color. He feels that white creates a blinding effect when done correctly and everyone participates. The Miami Heat, in particular, seemed to have had good success with white-outs.
What's ironic is that the color phenomenon appears to have basketball-only impact. In the NHL since 2006, home teams have won 52.3% of playoff color-out games compared with 54.5% overall. Maybe it's the fact that the hockey goal is on the ice, not suspended 10 feet from the floor and thus in full visibility alongside the color, which makes a difference. Or, maybe the NHL guys would simply say "we're tougher" and the color-out approach only affects those sissies in short pants.
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